Ocean Exchange celebrates innovations

A mini submarine that scrubs ships and a device that harnesses energy from natural motion took top honors and $100,000 each in the Ocean Exchange’s annual innovations competition Tuesday at the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center.

The U.K.-based WITT Energy received the Gulfstream Navigator Award 2013 for its renewable energy WITT device — Whatever Input to Torsion Transfer. That’s a good description of the purpose of the patented device, which converts the movement of water, wind, humans, animals or vehicles into usable energy.

With the ability to scale “from the size of a walnut to as big as a room,” plans include a key-fob model that recharges a cell phone as the user walks. A larger device could be attached to a buoy and capture wave energy.

“It’s like a wind-up watch, but it does more,” said managing director Mairi Wickett.

The company has a working prototype, but the award will allow it to optimize that for testing long-term in live locations, Wickett said.

The Gulfstream Navigator Award is given for “applicability across multiple industries to produce a positive impact on the economy and the environment.” Though the WITT device showed cleared potential for both, Wickett, who went without a salary for four years, was focused on the latter.

“It’s naught to do with money,” said an animated Wickett in accepting the award. “It’s to do with something that makes a difference.”

The nonprofit Ocean Exchange, formerly the Savannah Ocean Exchange, is in its third year. Delegates from Savannah and around the world meet and network as they learn about the showcased innovations and ultimately vote for the winners.

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. and Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics each sponsor a $100,000 award. The three-day event, also supported with grants from the city of Savannah and Chatham County along with local businesses, aims to accelerate the adoption of innovations already at a prototype stage.

A Norweigan company took the Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics Orcelle Award for its environmentally friendly ECOsubsea.

Growing up on a small Norwegian island made CEO Tor Østervold, 30, familiar with the problems of ocean-going vessels. At age 12 he was sent aboard a fishing vessel as an apprentice.

“I remember it only took us a month from the time we came from the dock with the vessel clean and newly painted until it started losing speed,” he said.

Østervold created a mini submarine that controls a new vacuum technology to suck off barnacles and other marine growth while leaving the hull’s paint intact. Because the device greatly reduces the need for divers, it’s safer, too.

With his award Østervold intends to develop the next stage of the device: putting to use the gunk he vacuums off the hulls.

“What we hope to do now is develop solutions where we can utilize the waste either as biogas production or a biofuel, he said. “Then you have a full green cycle.”

Christopher Connor, president and CEO of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics of Norway, congratulated the winner, saying “the appeal of this solution is how it combines an environmental benefit with a commercial incentive.”

Other entries in the Ocean Exchange contest ranged from a high protein oat that grows with little water to a GPS system for tracking shipping containers. There was one Savannah-based contestant among the 10 finalists.

Twitch Technologies is developing a data entry system that attaches to small mobile devices, obviating the need for a clunky full-sized qwerty keyboard or a screen-hogging digital version. Information about the finalists is available at www.oceanexchange.org